Taking Questions

Following is the second set of responses from Eric Schofield, the manager at Bicycle Habitat on Lafayette Street in Manhattan, who is responding to readers’ questions about bicycle maintenance and repair.

We are no longer accepting questions for this feature.

I’m currently riding a custom “Change for a Nickel” and need replacement stickers; can you point me in the right direction?

— Posted by Richard

If you would like some die cuts that will look great (on most any bike), please e-mail me off list and I’ll send you the contact information for a guy who does great work. He recently did a one-off, of the same name, for me for my helmet and it looks really good.

I have a road bike and was told that I should replace the chain soon. Do I need to replace the rear wheel gears at the same time, as was recommended?

— Posted by Jonathan C

Yes, you should change the cassette at the same time you change to a new chain. The whole system has been wearing together at the same rate, so if you only do one or the other you will probably just create a new set of problems for yourself.

I have a 1972 Raleigh Sports that’s a joy to ride … except after a couple miles when I begin to feel a light but steady pain on my left knee. I feel the pain on the top, inner part of my knee. I hope this is a problem with the setup of my bike and doesn’t mean I have to get another bike!

— Posted by Nick

When riding a mountain bike in the city, what could possibly cause constant discomfort/pain in the forearm and elbow area? Is it simply due to squeezing the brake levers? Or can it be one’s position on the bike, i.e., pressure exerted on the handlebars? Angle of the arms? Seat height? Thank you for any comments to this.

— Posted by erigo

There are so many things that go into a proper bike fit that it would be difficult for me, or anybody else, to answer in this type of format.

Nick: Saddle fore/aft adjustment and height is where I think you should start. Other than that, I would like to take a look at you on the bike to really give the right advice so you do not do something to make it worse. We have a few people on staff with a lot of fitting experience, and most shops have somebody that should be able to help you if you are not in the New York City area.

Erigo: My initial thought here would be something like a slightly shorter length and higher rise stem. You can also bring your hands a bit higher by going to a handlebar with more rise, and you may also need one that is a different width or has more or less sweep than what you have now to help relax your upper body, which should help with some of the discomfort.

Bicycle fit is a very individual thing, and a good shop should be able to work wonders for (all of) you that need a little help.

I inherited a bike from my uncle around six years ago. It was mired in disrepair and neglect, so I took it to a local bike shop to get it fixed up (new tires, brakes, etc.). The guy at the shop told me it was a brand he’d never heard of, seen, or encountered in his lifetime, and that the wheel size was extremely rare and outdated. He was able to get the appropriate tubes and frames for me, and the bike has been running fantastically ever since.

The bike is almost 30 years old now. I’ve done just about as much research on the Internet as I can and I can’t seem to find any history behind this bike. It’s called a Jetter and was made in Secaucus, N.J. There are at least (but no more than) 10 other people on the Internet who own the bike and have the same question I do:

What’s a Jetter? Who made it? Why did they stop making it? Why is it so heavy?

— Posted by Peter Luvnit

Well, it was not really made in Secaucus. This bike was actually made in Taiwan and was the B line from Shogun bicycles. They were imported by Frederick Wilkins through the mid-1980s. The wheel size should be a “standard” 27 inches, so you really should not have any problems with that, although it is a size that has not been used much here in the states for the last 20 years.

The reason it disappeared from the market was that the distributor went bankrupt. Heavy? Why are most box store bikes as heavy as they are? Loaded question there …

Can you name a profession that requires more stored knowledge and skill, but pays less than that of a bicycle mechanic? (I can’t, so I urge everyone to please be nice to your bike mechanic)

— Posted by Steve

Thank you from all of us that have chosen to do something we enjoy to make our living. I hope one of us has made your life better, more than once.

I purchased a Mongoose bike about two years ago from REI. recently I have been told that the frame is bent and that is the cause of the rear wheel leaning to one side and almost touching the inside of the fork. I paid almost $400 for this bike that at this point I consider gently used. When I first noticed this problem I had the rear axle replaced — that seemed to work for a while, but now the problem seems to be occurring again. Do you have any idea how I can correct this? The frame does not appear bent to me, but what do I know? I also do not really put the bike through any abnormal stretches other than riding it here in New York City, but on the street and within normal load ranges.

— Posted by R. Starr

Quick guess here, but I think the rear wheel uses a freewheel hub on your bike. If so, then you should expect that axle to keep bending. The best solution may be to get a wheel with a hub that is better designed to handle you and the terrain you are riding on. New York City streets are not the smoothest, most bike friendly around.

It is not the brand that is the problem. Bikes under about $500 will have parts on them that are there as a sacrifice to the price point. Wheels and hubs, while they are obviously very visible, are a great place for a manufacturer to help you save a few dollars because even the least expensive part will look and feel good enough for you to buy it. One of the things that a good shop will help you focus on is getting a bike with the right parts to truly suit your needs rather than just looking like what you think you want.

Hey, I have a mountain bike, 26 inches. The back wheel is loose and moves left and right while riding. The nuts and bolts are tight, but I have heard its a broken hub. Can a broken hub be fixed?

— Posted by Usman Kharal

I’m going to say it is probably not the whole hub that is broken, just the axle. You probably also lost some ball bearings out of the hub. If that is the case, you really should not try to fix it. This, unfortunately, sounds like one that needs to be replaced.

Hi,
I hope your article Answers from a Bicycle Mechanic will continue to be publish in the NY Times. I am an avid bicycle rider and find the answers and questions quite informative. Keep up the good work NY Times.

I really disagree with the replacing chain and cassette at the same time – cassettes can last very long provided you replace the chain before it becomes too worn (generally around 1,500 to 2,000 miles, but I recommend a chain measuring tool).

Replacing a cassette with every chain would become prohibitively expensive if you’re riding with an upper-tier gruppo. My current cassette has over 8,000 miles on it and it’s running fine, and it runs fine with a brand new chain. My current chain has about 1,000 miles on it. I plan on getting at least 15,000 miles on this cassette, hopefully more. I wouldn’t ever dream of getting more than 2,000 miles on a chain.

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